Rabies – cause, symptoms, remedies

Among the vaccines recommended for international travelers, a rabies vaccine is an unavoidable one. It is estimated that some 50,000 people die from the rabies virus every year. Though rabies is rare in the United States, in other parts of the world like parts of Thailand, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Brazil, China and Indonesia has reported this disease.

In the U.S, rabies is transmitted by a bite from a wild infected animal like bat raccoon, fox and skunk. The bite of a mad dog can also cause this disease. Though raccoons are the most common carriers of rabies, most of the rabies infected cases are reported on the contact with bats. Skunks and foxes also transmit the rabies virus, but in some rare cases wolves, coyotes, bobcats and ferrets can transmit the virus. Another group of animals that can pass the virus to human beings are rodents such as hamsters, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, and rabbits are very rarely infected with the virus. As vaccination programs are conducted everywhere in the U.S, the transmission of rabies virus from rabid dogs are not very common. However, outside the U.S, rabid dogs are the common carries of rabies virus.

If we translate the term rabies into Thai, it will be translated as ‘mad dog's disease’. Though the disease is commonly transmitted through the bite of a mad stray dog, household pets are also prone to rabies. That means our pets like cats, squirrels and rabbits can also get infected with the virus and this eventually gets transferred to the owners.

If a bite from a rabid animal leaves untreated, it will almost become fatal. Even bites from uninfected animals can lead to infections and other complicated problems. So it always better to consult with a doctor when some emergency situations like this arise. In emergency situations it is better to call the doctor for your home phone connected with service from providers like ATT Home Phone.

How rabies gets transmitted from animals to human beings? The saliva of the infected animals will contain rabies virus. When the rabid animal bites a human being, the virus passes to the body of a person from the saliva of the bitten animal. In certain rare case, the saliva of an infected animal can come into contact with a person's moist skin surfaces like cut, scratch, bruise, or open wound, or mouth. Aerosols of saliva droplets or bat guano can sometimes cause rabies.

From the bite of an infected animal the rabies virus will spread into the surrounding muscles of the bitten area. Then it will travel to the nerves. Once the deadly virus attacks the central nervous system, it will spread rapidly. This results in death. Still there is no proper cure for the rabies infection. So the mortality rate will be 100%.

Some of the symptoms of rabies infection include tingling or itching sensation around the area of the animal bite. Headache, fever, loss of appetite, nausea and fatigue will accompany this. As the diseases progress you have feelings like hallucination, muscle spasm, weakness or paralysis, increased production of saliva and difficulty in speaking. When it spreads to other parts of the nervous system, some symptoms like double vision, difficulty in moving facial muscles, fear of water, hyper salivation and difficulty of salivation can be observed.

There is no proper treatment for rabies once the symptoms appear. One of the most effective methods to reduce the chance of infection is to wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. In the U.S, the post effective treatment for rabies includes an injection of rabies immune globulin and several other injections containing rabies vaccine for about 28 days. We can prevent rabies infection in a number of ways. Some of the suggestions include keep your pet vaccinated in a timely manner; keep the pets under your direct supervision and avoiding contact with unknown animals.

Annphilip - About Author:Ann is a freelancer and she like to write about deadly infections. Diseases like rabies can take your life, so whenever you come into contact with some unknown animals please wash your hands properly. If any infected animals bit you, call your doctors from you home phone connected to ATT Home Phone and take an immediate appointment.